Kausalya Shankar started the Shankar Social Justice Trust to fight for a casteless society and assist inter-caste couples in their struggles. She is spearheading a campaign for a special law to protect such couples.

Manjunath, a manual scavenger from Davanagere in central Karnataka, cleans pit ­latrines and drains in his shorts and a loincloth. “We shouldn’t be doing this, but who will feed us then?” he asks. “We have been doing this all our lives.”

Prof Shoma Sen was ­arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, as were activists Rona Wilson, Mahesh Raut and Sudhir Dhawale, and lawyer Surendra Gadling as part of the ­police probe into the violence at Bhima-Koregaon.

Cases of arrest of Adivasis collecting forest produce for their livelihood abound in the area and they lived in constant fear of being dispossessed of their land. Now with the FRA’s legal force on their side, their struggle for their land continues.

“All we want is a fair trial and if guilt is proven, the culprits punished. But why is there no deadline? Our Constitution provides us right to life and when that is snatched away, why is there no accountability?

According to the Monster Salary Index, 2017, women, who only make up 27 per cent of the Indian workforce, are paid 20 per cent less than men overall, and 68 per cent of working women report having experienced wage inequality.

Hardik Patel's deteriorating health prompted the politicians on his side to ask him to give up his fast and preserve his health “for the larger cause of farmers and for the bigger fight that lay ahead.”

Taxes on petrol and diesel contribute a huge chunk to the government’s revenue.Funds are needed to implement crucial social schemes that the PM has announced, and there is no scope for any cut as of now.

This willingness to understand and joyfully fulfil your needs, just as a close friend might, is what was so wonderful about the Dalai Lama, and remains so, even today, when he is a Nobel Peace Laureate and the world reveres him as an icon.